Vikings vs Anglo-Saxons

These exciting Vikings and Anglo-Saxons KS2 lessons for Year 5 and Year 6 take your class on a fascinating journey back in time as they find out about the Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the kingdom of England and how England became a unified country. Your class will explore where the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings came from, how they fought for territory and power, and how their fighting ultimately led to the kingdom of England we know today. Along the way, they will also find out what life was like for everyday people living in Anglo-Saxon and Viking Britain, exploring things such as Viking runes and Anglo-Saxon stories like Beowulf.

To find out more about the early Anglo-Saxon period of British History, download our Anglo-Saxons, Picts and Scots scheme of work.

With lesson plans, slides, fun activity ideas, differentiated worksheets, and many other helpful resources, this Vikings and Anglo-Saxons KS2 planning pack provides everything you need to help your class understand the complexities of this formative period in English history.

This scheme of work is also part of our Vikings Topic Bundle. Perfect if you are teaching 'The Vikings' as a cross-curricular topic.

 

Before the Vikings

The first lesson in this series explores what England was like before the first Viking invasions. It reminds your class when the Romans left Britain and explores who the Anglo-Saxons were and where they came from. Your class will find out about the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and what life was like for everyday people under Anglo-Saxon rule.

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Viking Raids

This exciting Viking Raids KS2 lesson will give your Year 5 or Year 6 class a great understanding of the Lindisfarne Viking invasions and how the Viking raids affected the Anglo-Saxons.

This lesson starts by recapping the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and the constant battles between them, as well as between Anglo-Saxons and Britons, before looking at the first Viking raids. Your class will explore who the Vikings were and where they came from, and what happened at the Lindisfarne Viking raid in 793 and how this affected the Anglo-Saxons.

All this knowledge can be brought together by your class through a range of activities, including learning and singing a fun Viking raids song!

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The Danelaw

This Danelaw KS2 History lesson pack explores the peace treaty that was eventually reached between the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons.

During the lesson, your Year 5 or Year 6 class will find out how the Vikings continued to raid England and other parts of Britain after the attack on Lindisfarne in 793. They will have the chance to will these invasions and look at how a peace treaty was eventually reached to allow the Vikings control of the northwest of England, which became known as the Danelaw.

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Alfred the Great

This Alfred the Great KS2 lesson planning pack explores how Alfred became king of all the remaining kingdoms of England after the Danelaw was established. Your Year 5 or Year 6 children will explore the reign of King Alfred and challenges them to think about why he is the only king in British history to be dubbed 'Great'. Children can give an overview of the achievements of his reign, or choose one specific aspect of his life to research.

This Alfred the Great KS2 lesson contains everything you need to teach your class about this important historical figure – it's all planned for you so you can just download, teach and enjoy!

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Viking Life

This Viking Life KS2 lesson pack gives your class the chance to explore what life would have been like for Vikings living in Britain, and to compare this to how their Anglo-Saxon neighbours lived, identifying similarities and differences between the two.

They will also find out about Viking culture, including stories and runes, and discover how the Vikings left their mark on Britain, for example through the names they gave to towns and villages. The independent learning activities within this lesson are packed with fun and engaging activities for your class to have a go at.

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Becoming Unified

By the 900s, the Anglo-Saxon kings were enjoying a 'golden age' but this was not to last. This lesson explores how Anglo-Saxon power quickly waned after the death of Edgar the Peaceful and how England became a unified country under the control of a single Viking king by the year 1016. To do this, they will find out about some key historical figures, such as Edmund Ironside, Cnut the Great and Ethelred the Unready, and order events into a coherent narrative.

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1066

The final lesson in this series explores the years between 1016 and 1066 when the Normans invaded and conquered England, ending the era of the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons in England. Your class will be introduced to the men who thought they had the right to rule England and why, and investigate what happened to cause the Battle of Hastings. There is also the chance for them to consolidate what they have found out about how England became a unified country and the complexities of this formative period in English history.

View Lesson 7

This Year 5/6 History Knowledge Organiser has been created to complement our History 'Britain up to 1066' strand. It is designed to support your children’s understanding of key vocabulary linked to this scheme of work. Enquiry questions have been included to encourage your children to think like a historian within this topic.

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